Feeding apparatus for straightening machines



Oct. 14, 1952 o. J. PERDUE. ETAL. 2,613,8

FEEDING APPARATUS FOR STRAiGHTENING MACHINES Filed Jan. 24. 1947 6 Sheet sSheet l INVENTOR.

W 3 MM BY CLMW 61km M g M {8M ATTORNEY Oct. PERDUE HAL FEEDING APPARATUS FOR STRAIGHTENING MACHINES Filed Jan. 24, 1947 6 Sheets-Sheet 2, I

b uvvsgox,

BY ii; a.

ATTORNEY Oct. 14, 1952 o. J. PERDUE ETAL 2,613,801

I FEEDING APPARATUS FOR STRAIGHTENtNG MACHINES Filed Jan. 24. 1947 G SheetS-Sheet 3 INVENTOR.

BY a (5 .KEJRMAQ ATTOEZVEY Oct. 14, 1952 j D. J. PERDUE ET'AL 2,613,801

FEEDING APPARATUS FOR STRAIGHTENING MACHINES v Filed Jan. 24. 1947 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR.

BY CLWMQLR. (81.12%

ATTORNEY Oct. 14, 1952 o. J. PERDUE ETAL 2,513,801

FEEDING APPARATUS FOR STRAIGHTENING MACHINES Filed Jan. 24, 1947 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 INSV'EgTOR.

W s Fbwfiw.

ATTORNEY 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 1 H I HHH D. J. PERDUE ETA].

FEEDING APPARATUS FOR STRAIGHTENING MACHINES Oct. 14, 1952 Filed Jan. 24. 1947 mwvrox.

X M, BY m km WS BM'QM ATTORZYEY Patented Oct. 14, 1952 FEEDING APPARATUS FOR STRAIGHTENIN G MACHINES Dwight J. Perdue and Clarence B. Richards, Canton, Ohio, assignors to Republic Steel Corporation, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of New Jersey Application January 24, 1947, Serial No. 724,144

The present invention relates to a feeding anparatus for a straightening machine, and par,- ticularly for a machine adapted to straighten elongate cylindrical work pieces, such as bars, pipes or tubes.

Such work pieces are customarily straightened during the production thereof by passing them through a straightening machine, which consists essentially of a pair of driven rolls respectively associated with idler rolls and so arranged as simultaneously to rotate and axiallyto advance the work piece and a pressure roll which accomplishes the straightenin operation. At the relatively high speeds of'operation now in use in manufacturing such articles on a commercial scale, such as in steel mills, for example, bundles of somewhat bent or crooked work pieces of this kind are placed on a rack located at one side of and parallel with the entry or feed table. On this rack the banding wires are cut and the work pieces rolled onto skids over the entry table. The entry tables are provided with driven rollers normally located below the top of the skids.

After a work piece is moved onto these rollers, the table is raised and the workpiece is moved by the driven rollers into position for entering into the bending rolls of the straightening machine. Apparatus for performing this operation is shown and described, for example, in the Woodard Patent No. 1,738,340, granted Decemher 3, 1929.

The actual entering of a, bar or pipe into the.

straightening machine has been to a certain extent a manual operation and is in practice very dangerous, due to 'the fact that the bar or pipe is moved forwardly and guided by the operators hands into the throat of. the rotatingbending rolls, and the operator does not release the work piece until he feels the rolls of the straightening machine gripping it. At this instant these rolls start to impart a rotatin movement to the work piece, theoretically about its axis, but due to the crookedness of the work piece, the operator must remove his hands very rapidly and step out of the whip zone of the free-portion or end of the work piece. In some instances bending roll equipment for straightening bars or pipes of small diameter do not have positively driven rollers associated with the entry tables. apparatus are usually provided with guarded entry troughs into which the work pieces are successively dropped and hand-entered into the throat of the bending rolls. On all sizes of straightening machines, this hand-entering operation is dangerous and often operators w th Such I 9 Claims. (01. 193-127) many years of experiencehave become carelessand have had their-hands or clothing caught by the rotating 'workpieces, causing serious-accie dents. v

A primary object of the presentinvention is to render the hand operation of. enterin the Work pieces into the straighteningma'chine unnecessary, so as positively-to prevent the liability for accidents in connection with this operatipn. A further and more detailed object of the present invention is to provide in-conjunction with a work table and a positively-driven,feed

roller associated therewith, means. for'gripping a Work piece against the surfaceroi' such feed. roller and preferably also for centering such work piece in a manner such that the'operation.

of feeding the leading end of thework piece into the straightening machine associated with the.

feed table apparatus will be entirely automatic,

at least insofar as the elimination of the manua feeding operation is concerned;

A further detailed object'of the invention in this respect is to provide afeed roller-of concave outer contour, which willtend to center the Work pieces being fed-thereby and with which is asso- I ciated an idler roller having means to move it to and from an operative position in which it may grasp a workpiece in conjunction with and between itjand the positively driven roller.

movement in respect to the driven roller, the

idler specifically illustrated in connection with this form of the invention being cylindrical in v outer contour.

Further detailed objects'of the inventioninw clude the provision'of automate means for moving the idler roller to and from its operative position, the provision ofalternatively usable effort.

A further object of the present invention is to i provide a guide means preferably moving with the idler rollerv for assisting in the centering operation of a Work piece-which is also efiected to some extent by the provision' of a-cjoncave con tour for the driven roller. 1

Inone specific embodimentof the invention this Y idler roller is formed with an outer contour sub: stantially complementary with that of the driven roller, whilein another'ernbodiment of the in vention hereinafter described the idler roller, is mounted for free floating; or self-centering Other and more detailed objects of the present invention will become apparent from the following specification and appended claims when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 illustrates, substantially in plan View, apparatus embodying one form of the present invention in conjunction with a straightening machine, the latter being shown solely diagram-- matically;

Fig. 2 is a view, substantially in elevation, of many of the parts of Fig. l, the straightening machine per se being omitted; Fig. 3 is a fragmentary plan view on an enlarged scale of that portion of the apparatus of Figs. 1 and 2 to which the structure including the present invention is applied, showing the relationship of the parts in their operative position;

Fig. 4 is a view, substantially in elevation, of

the parts shown inFig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a view, substantially in transverse vertical section, taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4; Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the fluid or air pressure cylinder for moving the idler roller to and from its operative position and a valve means associated therewith;

Fig. '7 ma fragmentary plan view of a modified form of "the invention, wherein a manually moved and floating idler roller is employed;

Fig. 8 'is a view in front elevation of the apparatus of Fig. 7;

Fig 9 is a view in transverse vertical section taken substantially on the line 99 of Fig. 8 and showing the idler roller in its operative positionj h Fig. 10 is a similar view in transverse vertical section taken'substantially on the line Iii-iii of Fig. 8; and 1 Fig. 11 is a fragmentary detailed view principally in elevation and taken substantially on the line. IIII of Fig. 8 showing the relation of the centering guide to the driven'roller.

Turning now to the accompanying drawings,

i vcally disposed angle members 2, which may be set in the floor or other support generally des- I ignated at 3 and which may in practice be concrete or any other suitable material.

members 2 may be connected by longitudinally I extending members 4 suitably secured thereto as 7 by bolts, rivets or' the like or by welding, and

also maybe connected by transversely extending structural members 5. Supported upon the members 5, intermediate the longitudinal members tor 'the' angles 2, may be a panel member .figforming with the members 4 a trough, which may be lined by removable side members i and a bottom member 8. The members 7 and 8 may be of some material capable of withstanding the I wear and tear due to the Whip of the trailing end portionsof the work pieces being handled.

Suitably secured to the structure hereinabove The particular construction of the The angle described are laterally extending skid bars 9 forming a rack-like table surface l0, upon which a plurality of work pieces as shown at I I may be located prior to being moved one at a time into the center portion of the entry table in position to be moved forwardly in sequence into the straightening apparatus.

At spaced intervals longitudinal of the entry table I means may be provided for preventing the whi of the bars from being effective outside a restricted area and for confining this whip to a predetermined space principally within the trough-forming elements 1 and 8. Such means comprise a plurality of curved bracket or guard members I2, Fig. 5, each suitably secured as by an angle member l3 to one of the upright angle members 2 and including a portion overlying the trough formed by the members I and 8. Pivotally secured to the outer ends of each of the bracket members I2, there may be a finger guard detent member I4, which is free to move in respect to the end of the associated member I2 about the axis of a pivot pintle [5. The lower ends of the members I4 are beveled as best shown in Fig. 5, so as to complete the encirclement of the space into which a work piece II is moved for feeding it into the associated straightening apparatus. The center of gravity of each member I4 is such in respect to its pivotal point that it will normally occupy a position substantially as shown in Fig. 5, but may be moved in a clockwise direction from this position to admit one work piece II at a time as it is rolled from the rack surface I0.

Suitably disposed at spaced intervals longitudinally of the entry table I are a plurality of positively driven rollers I6, I7 and I8, any desired number being used, although but three are shown on the accompanying drawings. These rollers are suitably supported by having rigid therewith pivot pins or shafts journalled in suitable bearing means I9. The forward ends of the shafts for the rollers Ifi-Ifi inclusive are extended outwardly from their associated bear- "ings and carry suitable means for driving the rollers, here shown as sprocket wheels, one of which is illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5 at 20. These sprocket wheels are suitablyconnected by sprocket chains 2| and 22 and are driven by suitable means shown as a sprocket chain 23, a speed reducing gear mechanism generally indicated at 2 4 and direct connected motor 25. It will be understood that while there is shown herein one particular set of mechanisms for driving these ro11ers, any other equivalent mechanism for this purpose might be used, including that shown and described, for example, in the Woodard patent, No. 1,738,340, above referred to. This mechanism per se forms no part of the present in- -vention.

As shown, each or the rollers I6 to I8 is concave in its outer contour, thus tending to center a work piece freely resting thereon by moving said work piece in a direction parallel to the axis of the respective roller.

As shown in Fig. l, the apparatus thus far described is arranged to beassociated with a straightening machine generally designatedby the reference character 26, to which the work pieces are consecutively fed, one of such work pieces at a position about tov enter the rolls of the straightening machine being shown at 21, Fig. l. The straightening machine 26 may be of any ordinary construction and include driven rolls 28-49, respectively associated with idler.

rolls .3 and 3 l and as pressure roll; .32 which straightens the work pieces asathey are consecutively rotated. and drawn through the straightener by'the combinedJaction of. the rolls 28-480 and12 993 I straightening machines of a this .genera-1 character being well known and in common.

accordance with to 76, inclusive, there I is. provided. an :idlerroller for cooperation :withone :of .the positivelyrlriven rollers: Hi. to 18,. preferably that roller which :is.

nearest to the straightening machine of the group associated with. theentry table, i..e.', the rollerilfi in;the.pr.esent. case. This. idler roller is adapted to cooperate with .its associated driven roller: in 1 gripping a workpiece :therebetweeniat. the opera tive position of .theidler roller-3 Atuthiszoperativs position the. idler; roller is. mounted upon. an axis which is preferablysubstantially parallel.

with the axis of the associated driven roller, i. e.,

the roller.|6,iin this casehorizontalj The idler...

roller is arranged forbodily movement'between an operative position :as. just described .and. an.

inoperative'position in which it is wholly out of the way of Work pieces: being moved onto the entry table or beingcarried from the entry table subsequent to their. leading. endbeing grippeduby the rollers of the straightening machine.

Asishown in Figs. 1.and.6; inclusive, there is thus provided an idler roller 33, whichis shown in'its operativepositionrinFigs. 11 ;to inclusive andindottedlines in FigJiat itsinoperative po-.- sition as shown at34. Theidler roller 33 has a convex' contour or shape, substantially comple-- l mentary withf'the'shape or; contour of .the as.-. sociated driven roller: l 6 :(see particularly Fig. 5) so. as to cooperatewith. that drivenroller to .en-

gage therebetweenra: work .;pi'ece irrespective of some lateral displacement of that. work ;pie'ce:

from a centered position on that .driven roller,

which may occur...due.to=a crookedshape of. the:

Means are providedsforsupporting-the'idler.

roller '33 and for movingxit bodily. between; its operative and inoperative positions asv aforesaid.

For this purpose there is shown inFigs. 1.to-.5 a". member 35 formed as an offset armaextending.

from a bearingv portion 36 for .this member; At its outer end. the 1 member 35 :has .pair "of .de'

pending'iportions L31 arrangedto: support" axial.

pintle portions 38. of:.the idler roller .33, the de.

pending portions 31 being connected bya web 391 as. showninFigs. eanditii The membente may; .be keyed or otherwise suitably securedxto -.a shortshaft 49,.which is journalled in astationary bear.-

ing bracket 41, in turn carriedrby. azbracket 1 52 which is secured to theframework. of the'entryt table. At its outer end, i. e., outside the bearing bracket M, the shaft 40 has keyed or otherwise suitably secured thereto an actuating arm 43 by which the member 35 and the idler roller 33 carricd thereby may be moved about the axis of the shaft 40..

While it is contemplated that these parts-may be operated either manually or automatically, there is shown in the form of the invention. il-

lustrated in Figs. 1 to 6 an automatic means for effecting this operation. As shown, this means comprises :a fluid or air pressure cylinder'M, which is pivoted at its lower end at 45 to a suit able supporting pillar or base 46, so as to permit of the necessary movement of the cylinder incident to lost motion for the outer end of the arm 43, to which the piston of this-cylinder 44 the present. invention and particularly that form-thereof shown intFigs; l.

is pivoted at 41.

sure to the opposite endsof the cylinder 44. As

' shown in that 'figure azvalve means is provided as. illustrated, diagrammatically at 48 and which may be operated by a suitablefoot pedal 49, under the control of an operator, to control the flow'of.

fluid or airpressure from a supply linev 56 for such pressure to and from the opposite ends of the cylinder 44 through lines 5! and 52 icommunicatingt between the valve means (i8 and the cylinder, asuitable exhaust passage diagrammatically il lustrated at 53 being associated with theavalve means 48 in the usual manner. In. view. of the necessary movement of the cylinder-Ml aboutits pivot .45, some part or parts. of the lines. 5| and.

52 will. in practice be made flexible, and .of such anature and character as to permit of this movement. It will be understood that the valve means.-

48 may be of any conventional type and'issolocated, preferably adjacent to the entrance tothe straightening apparatus '2fi,.as.to permit the operator to perform his duties in an efiicient' manner.

The operation of the device in Figs. 1-6 should be obvious from the above description. Starting with the parts in the position of Fig. 5, thevalve means 48, Fig. 6, is first'moved to admit. fluid .or air pressure to the lower end of the cylinder '44 and exhaust'such pressure from the upper end thereof, thus extending thefpiston from theicylinder and moving the crank arm 63 in a clockwise'direction as seen in Figs. 2 and 4.

operative position to its dotted lineor inoperative position, shown at 34, in Fig. 4. A Workpiecemay then be moved onto the entry tableand intothe.

trough portion thereof formed by the parts .1 and 8. At this position it is carried tothe left asseen in Figs. 1 and 2by the rollerslfi, H iandrilajor some of them. After the leading end of this work: piece has passed the roller is and approaches the position'shown for the work piece 21., Fig. l, preswrote the cylinder is reversed by the operation of the valve means as, causing the idler roller 33to move downwardly and. to grip the work.

Due to'the piece between it and the rollerlfi. configuration of theserollers, the work piece has been substantially centered meanwhile, so thatrit moves forwardly in a substantially centered position. However, irrespective of the centering, it

is resiliently gripped between the idler. rollertt and the driven roller [5, andsubstantially'posiitively moved forwardly into the entrance rollers. 28-3E of the straightening machine 26,.as shown" for the workpiece 2?, Fig.1; After' the leading" end of the workpiece has beengrippedby the: rollers 28 and 31bit is rotated and simultaneously, drawn forwardly through the straightening machine, being straightened incident to its move-- ment by the pressure roller 32 thereof. The idler.

roller. 33 may immediately .thereuponbe moved upwardly out of contact withthewOrk piece during this actual straightening'operation, or, if desired, it may be maintained .in its operative position under the resilient action of the fluid or air'pressure cylinder 44. The valve 'means' lB' is usually arranged to maintain the idler roller-in its inoperative position, corresponding to thefull line position of the lever 5.9." When this lever is depressed, against the force of a resilientmeans (not shown) associated with the valve means '48," the idler roller is moved downwardly by thezcylx-f inde'r. 144 to. its operative position. Upon-."releases.

Suitable valve means. may'rba provided as diagrammatically illustrated. in Fig. 6'f01: the supply and exhaust" of fluid orxair pres.-

This moves the idler roller 33 from its full...line'or' I of pressure on the lever 49, the resilient means is immediately effective, through the means described, to move the idler roller 33 to its inoperative position. It is usually contemplated that this cylinder will be operated by pneumatic pressure. Alternatively, however, a hydraulic pressure cylinder could be used in this connection, but if so, means are preferably provided associated therewith such as a conventional air bell (not shown) to afford some resiliency to the action of the cylinder. .In any event, the apparatus operates in a sufficiently positive manner to insure the desired results without requiring a manual feeding operation as was formerly necessary.

Referring now to the form of the invention shown in Figs. 7 to 11, inclusive, there is illustrated an apparatus including a work table generally indicated at 54, this table not being disclosed in detail as to its construction, but merely indicated in a diagrammatic manner. table comprises elongate confining means in the form of a part spiral shown at 55, Figs. 9 and 10, which may be employed for permitting the introduction of a work piece, while at the same time confining the whip zone thereof in such a way as to prevent harm to surrounding apparatus and to the attendant personnel, an entrance opening or part 56 being provided for the introduction of work pieces into the center part of the spirally confined zone.

The entry table 54 may be interrupted to provide a space indicated at in which a moving means for the work pieces may be interposed. SucH means includes a positively driven roller shown at 58, which has suitable pintle portions received in bearings 59 carried by a supporting structure generally indicated at 60. The. driven roller 58 may be reentrant or concave in its outer contour in the manner heretofore described for driven rollers |6l8.

Means are provided for driving the driven 7 roller 58, here shown as a sprocket chain 6!, a speed reducing gear mechanism 62 and a suitable motor 63 directly connected to the mechanism 82.

Also associated with the apparatus shown in these figures is an auxiliary supporting means for the work pieces during their passage across thespace 57, this means comprising a lateral arm 64, which may be pivoted at 65 to an upstanding bracket 66 carried by the supporting structure i 60. The other end of the arm 64 may be guided in a suitable inverted U-shaped guide member 61, as shown in Figs. '7 and 9. The arm 64 has a depending stud portion substantially centrallyv thereof, which is vertically aligned with a threaded stud 68 which passes through a part of the supporting structure 60. Threaded on the stud 68 above the web of the supporting structure 60, as shown in Fig. 9, is a nut 89, which serves as an abutment for the lower end of a compression spring 10, extending between the upper side of this'nut and the underside of the arm 64 and surrounding a portion of the stud 68 extending upwardly through the nut 69, and the aligned stud depending from the arm 64. By controlling the position of the nut 69 on the stud 68, the position of the arm 64 may be adjustably controlled to accommodate work pieces of different weight or size.

Associated with the driven roller 58 is an idler roller 1|, which is arranged to rotate freely about its axis. The roller H is substantially cylindrical in its outer contour and is arranged as hereinafter particularly described to cooperate with the The 8. driven roller 58 to grip therebetween a work piece as shown at 12, Figs. 8 to 10.

Means are provided for supporting and for bodily moving the idler roller 1| to move it between its operativeposition shown in full lines in several figures and an inoperative position shown in dotted lines at 13, Fig. 8. For this purpose, a supporting member 14 is provided which carries the roller H in a manner more particularly hereinafter described. The supporting member 14 is secured to or formed as a part of a lever arm 15, which is journalled for movement about the axis of a pintle 16. This pintle is formed as a bolt having different diameters at different portions thereof and having a relatively small diameter portion passing through a bearing portion 71 of an arm 18 extending to the supporting structure 60 and carried thereby. A larger diameter portion of the pintle 16 passes through a bearing sleeve or bushing 79 in a hub portion of the arm 15 and has a larger diameter head 80 at its inner end, as shown in Fig. 9*. A nut 8| is threaded on the outer end of the pintle 16 to hold the parts in assembled relation.

While it is contemplated that automatic means could be provided for moving the supporting member 14 to move the roller 1| between its operative and inoperative positions as above set forth, we have shown for this purpose a manual means in Figs. 7 to 10. This means comprises a long extension 82 of the lever 15 having hand grip part 83 at its outer end. In order to facilitate the movement of the parts'by the hand lever thus provided, the apparatus may be equipped with a suitable counterweight as by providing on the I hub portion of the lever 15 an outwardly extending arm 84 to some part of which a' suitable counterweight 85 may be secured. It is contemplated that the counterweight may be attached at a distance outwardly on the arm 84 such as to be of the maximum benefit in use. The usual arrangement is such that the counterweight will be effective to move the'idler roller 1| to its inoperative position when the hand lever 83 is released. For this purpose the arm 84 may be provided with a plurality of holes, through any of which a bolt 86 securing the counterweight to the arm may pass.

Suitable stop means may be provided for adjustably predetermining the limit of movement of the idler roll H toward its operative position. For this purpose the bearing portion 1'! of the arm 18 may be provided with a rigid extension 81 against which a bolt 88 threaded through a flange of the lever arm 15 is adapted to abut. The adjustment may be effected by threading the bolt 88 different distances through the web or flange of the lever 15, and the adjustment secured by a suitable lock nut 89.

Means are provided for a floating connection between the supporting means 14 and the roller ll, so as to permit the roller to be self-centering in operation. For this purpose the roller II is freely rotatable about a pintle shown horizontal in the View in Fig. 9 and carried by a bracket 90. The bracket 90 is pivoted to the supporting means 74 about a pintle 9|, which extends transversely in respect to the direction of the axis of the roller 7 I. Considered from another point of view, the roller 1| may be self-adjusting by movement in a substantially vertical plane (considerin the roller in its operative position), which plane contains the axis of the roller H. In this way, the roller may cooperate with the reentrant or concave configuration of the driven roller 58, so as to scribed.

grip a work piece therebetween in various positions of this work piece including the central position shown in Figs. 9 and 10.

'ment of the-idler roller with the work piece,'once it has performed its initial guiding function.

--As particularly'shown in Figsq-Q and 10, when "the apparatus is employed in'conjunction' with a work piece of the size and type for which it is particularly designed, as shown for example at T2, the upper work piece-contacting surface or portion of the driven roller 58 is'concave or reentrant substantially in a mannerseen in Figs. 9- and 10 and as substantially the arc of a circle, the center of which is at the center of the pintle 91. Thus as the work piece moves laterally or rotates, so as to kick off the roller H as aforesaichthe distance between the work piece-contactingportion of the driven roller 58 and the center of the pintle 9| aboutwhich the roller?! may move is constant. This in practice assists in the desired operation of the apparatus which'includes the kick off as aforesaid.

While the free floating roller constructionis only shown in connection With Figs. 7 to '10, it is 3 contemplated that this construction could readily be adapted to the form of the invention shown in the preceding figures; or conversely, the form of idlerrcller shown at 33 in the preceding figures could be adapted for use in conjunction with the manually operated apparatus shown in Figs. 7 to. 1.0. Such an interchange of the constructions disclosed is to be consideredwithin the purview of the present invention.

Also shown in connection with Figs. '7 to 11 is a guiding means which could be used with-either 'form of theinvention, this guiding means comprising a bracket member 92 carried by thesupporting means' M and having a" downwardly directed portion as seen best in Fig. 11, whichhas a downwardly-opening V-shaped-recess therein shown at 94, effective in practiceto assist in the centering or positioning of work pieces as shown in Fig. 11 at 95. The inverted V-shaped opening particularly cooperates with the driven roller 53, tending to-keep the work piece in the center of the concave surface of the roller. This device will ordinarily be used in connection with an apparatus handling relatively light work pieces, although it is not to be considered as inoperative with any work pieces for which the apparatus as a whole is suitable.

The operation of the device shown in Figs. '7 to ll is essentially the same as that previously de- The bars or pipes,'constituting the'work pieces, are successively introduced into the entry table structure through the "space 55 shown in FigsmQ and 10, andwhen'so'introduced are carried forwardly, i. e., to the left as seen in Figs.

7 and 8, toward a straightening machine such as that shown at 26 in Fig; 1,' but not shown in any of Figs. 7150 11. This forwardmovement may be imparted by any driving means such as that shown in Figs. 7 and'8. several such meansmay be provided, although but one of such means need 10 ordinarily have associated therewith an idler or gripping roll in accordance with the present invention. It is usually preferred to have this idler or gripping roll associated with the positively driven roll nearest to the straightenin machine. When the work pieces as shown at '52, Figs. 8-10, have been moved sufliciently so as to be beneath theoperative position of the idler roll l i, the latter is moved downwardly by manual action, the operator grasping the hand grip portion 83 of the lever l'582. This downward movement iscontinued until the work piece is gripped between the rolls 58 and H, as seen in Figs. 9 and 10, following which the work piece is moved toward the straightening machine by the automatic drive for the driven roller 58. The idler roll M will conform to the position of the work piece during its forward movement even though that position is changed incident to the rotation of the work piece by the straightening machine rolls and to a curvature of the work piece. This action is per- "mitted by the free floating movement of the idler roller H about the axis of the pintle 5i. When no work piece is in position, the stop 88 may be set so as to prevent any undesired engagement of the idler roller H with the driven roller 58 and thus prevent damage to the parts under these circumstances.

While we have shown and describedbut two principal embodiments of our invention, it will be understood that some of the features may be interchanged therebetween as hereinabovesu gested, and other variations made within the knowledge of those'skilled in the art, based upon the above teachings. We do not wish to be limited, therefore, except by the scope of the appended claims, which are to be construed validly, as broadly as the state of the prior art permits.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for feeding elongate, substantially cylindrical work pieces to a straightening machine, comprising a feed table for sequentially supporting said work pieces with their axes substantiallyin a predetermined horizontal direction, a positively driven roller associated with said feed table and rotatable about a predetermined, substantially horizontal axis perpendicular to said direction, saidroller having a work piece-en: gaging surface which is concave in a plane section radial thereof and wherein the extent axial of said roller is a plurality of times the maximum diameter of saidwork pieces to be handled thereby, so as to be engageable with out-of-straight work pieces at any portion of said work pieceengag'ing surface, while relatively straight work pieces tend to move toward the lower center portion of said surface, means for positively driving said driven roller, an idler roller rotatable about an axis which is always in a substantially vertical plane containing the axis of said positively driven roller and which is constructed and arranged to engage a work piece to press such work piece into engagement with any part of said work piece-engaging suriace of said'driven roller irrespective of the out-of-straight conformation of some work pieces and'what portion of said surface may-be engaged thereby, means supported on one side only of said feed table for supporting said idler roller, and means operated in handling each "work piece for bodily moving said idlerrollcr substantially in a plane perpendicular to the axis of said driven roller between an inoperative position in which it is clear of a work piece that may be supplied laterally ontosaid feed table from the side thereof opposite that on which said idler roller is supported and disposed over said driven roller on said feed table, and an operative position in which a work piece so disposed may be gripped between said driven and said idler rollers, so as to feed a workpiece, without rotating it about its longitudinal axis, into an associated straightening machine.

2. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein said idler roller has a convex contour substantially complementary to the contour of said driven roller, such as to provide a substantial uniform clearance between said rollers when they are in position to grip a work piece therebetween.

3. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein said idler roller has a substantial cylindrical contour for its work piece-engaging surface.

4. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein said idler roller is mounted for bodily movement about a stationary horizontal axis which is located parallel to the axis Of said driven roller and is spaced a substantial distance longitudinally of said feed table therefrom, and wherein said means for bodily moving said idler roller comprises a fluid pressure cylinder mechanically connected to said idler roller for bodily moving it about said stationary horizontal axis, and valve means for controlling the flow of fluid pressure to and from said cylinder.

5. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1, comprising in addition, guide means carried by said means for supporting said idler roller and bodily movable with said idler roller, said guide means tending to center a work piece being fed to the straightening machine by said rollers.

6. Apparatus for feeding elongate, substantially cylindrical work pieces to a straightening machine, comprising a feed table for sequentially supporting said work pieces with their axes substantially in a predetermined horizontal direction, a positively driven roller associated with said feed table and rotatable about a predetermined, substantially horizontal axis perpendicular to said direction, said roller having a work piece-engaging surface which is concave in a plane section radial thereof and wherein the extent axial of said roller is a plurality of times the maximum diameter of said work pieces to be handled thereby, so as to be engageable with out-of-straight work pieces at any portion of said work pieceengaging' surface, while relatively straight work pieces tend to move toward the lower center portion of said surface, means for positively driving said driven roller, an idler roller rotatable about an axis which is always in a substantially vertical plane containing the axis of said positively driven roller and which is constructed and. arranged to engage a work piece to press such work piece into engagement with any part of said work pieceengaging surface of said driven roller irrespective of the out-of-straight conformation of some work pieces and what portion of said surface may be engaged thereby, means supported on one side only of said feed table for supporting said idler roller, means for mounting said idler roller on the last named means so as to provide for a free floating movement of said idler roller in'respect to said last named means substantially in a plane containing the axis of said idler roller, which plane is substantially vertical in the operative position of said idler roller in gripping engagement with a Work piece, so that said idler roller may accommodate itself to the engaging of a work piece located at dilTerent positions in respect to said driven roller, and means operating in handling each work piece for bodily moving said idler roller substantially in a plane perpendicular to the axis of said driven roller between an inoperative position in which it is clear of a work piece that may be supplied laterally onto said feed table from the side thereof opposite that on which said idler roller is supported and disposed over said drivenroller on said feed table, and an operative position in which a work piece so disposed may be gripped between said driven and said idler rollers, so as to feed a work piece, without rotating it about its longitudinal axis, into an associated straightening machine.

7. Apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said idler roller has a cylindrical outer work piece-engaging surface, and wherein said means for mounting said idler roller on said last named means comprises a pivotal connection about an axis fixed in respect to said last named means and disposed above and substantially at right angles to the axis of said cylindrical surface at the operative position of said idler roller.

8. Apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said idler roller has a substantially cylindrical work piece-engaging surface, and wherein said free floating movement of said idler roller is such that when said rollers are in a position gripping a work piece, the positive rotation of said work piece, after it has been engaged by the straightening machine, will move said idler roller laterally of said work piece and out of engagement therewith.

9. Apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said idler roller has a Work piece-engaging surface which is symmetrical from end to end of this roller and having a diameter at its center portion which is at least as great as the diameters of its axial end portions, and wherein said means for mounting said idler roller on said last named means comprises a pivotal connection about an axis fixed in respect to said last named means and disposed above and substantially at right angles to the axis of said idler roller, at the operative position of said idler roller, said driven roller having its work piece-engaging surface of a concavity such that when said rollers are engaged with a work piece of average size, the intersection of a substantially vertical plane containing the axi of said driven roller with the Work piece engaging surface thereof will be a substantially circular segment having its center on said fixed axis of said pivotal connection between said last named means and said idler roller.

DWIGHT J. PERDUE. CLARENCE B. RICHARDS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

